One Thin Patch of Ice
by Outsiders Obsessor
Summary: "My sister - Penelope. Four years younger and better at almost everything. We had a lake by our cottage, and in the winter it'd freeze over. And we must've spent hours, days even, out on that lake. But all it takes is one second, one thin patch of ice and your whole life changes forever." This is the story of how Will lost his sister, Penelope. Set before OUATW.


**One Thin Patch of Ice**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Will or Penelope Scarlet. They belong to Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and ABC. I hope you enjoy!

The sky is starting to turn pink as the sun barely begins to rise. Will Scarlet has recently turned twelve, meaning his sister, Penelope, is seven and a half. Will softly snores as he continues to sleep, still tired from skating most of the day yesterday and helping his father fix a leak in the roof all last night. As Will continues to sleep, Penelope quietly pushes open the door to her older brother's room. She creeps towards his bed with her skates in her hand. The dirty-blonde sits her skates down on Will's nightstand before trying to wake him up.

"Will, wake up," Penelope whispers in Will's ear.

Will just groans before covering his face with his pillow. Penelope sighs, knowing she will have to take drastic measures to wake her slumbering brother. She grabs Will's shoulder and begins shaking him.

"Will! Will, get up!" Penelope nearly yells.

"Penelope, I'm trying to sleep. What's so important at this bloody hour?" Will grumbles as he props himself up on one elbow.

"You promised you'd take me skating this morning," she reminds as she looks at Will with puppy-dog eyes.

Will turns to look at the window and notices that the sun is beginning to rise on the horizon.

"Well, you took the definition of "morning" literally, didn't ya? All right, get your skates," Will chuckles as he gets out of the bed.

Penelope happily squeals before wrapping her older brother in a hug.

"Thank you, Will," she remarks as she squeezes his shoulders with her arms.

"Don't mention it. Now, allow me a minute to get out of my night clothes and go get your coat. I'm sure it's cold out since it's the start of January," Will smiles as he ruffles Penelope's hair.

She runs off into her room to grab her coat and give Will enough time to dress.

A few minutes later, Will has his coat and hat on and has his pair of skates in his hands. Penelope meets him in the living room long enough for their mother to tell them goodbye.

"Be careful," Mrs. Scarlet reminds as she hugs Will and Penelope.

"We will," Will assures as he wraps his arm around Penelope's shoulders.

The two siblings open the cottage's door and step out into the frosty January air. Their feet sink a couple of inches in snow when they get outside, and a grin passes over both of their faces. Penelope breaks away from Will and begins making snowballs.

"I'm gonna get you today, Will!" she taunts in a playful tone.

"We'll see about that!" Will calls back as he prepares some snowballs of his own.

As Will makes an arsenal of snowballs to throw at Penelope, something cold hits the back of his neck. He reaches back and feels something solid against the back of his neck and the neck of his coat. Will knows that Penelope threw a snowball at him, so he wheels around, his arms filled with snowballs.

"I got you, Will!" Penelope cheers when her brother gives her a weird look.

"You know, it's not nice to throw things at people when they're not looking, lass," Will smirks at his younger sister.

"I learned from you, Will," Penelope smiles back.

"Well, then you won't mind if I do this, then," he assures her as he throws a pair of snowballs at her chest.

The snow travels down the neck of her coat and begins to chill her bones and skin. Penelope quickly grabs her own arsenal of snow and begins throwing it at Will.

The first snowball she throws hits Will in the head, which blurs his vision for a minute.

"You know the rules, Penelope. You're not allowed to hit me in me head," Will reminds as his vision starts to return to normal.

"Sorry, Will. I didn't mean to hurt you," she responds, looking like she might cry.

"It's okay, lass. I'm perfectly fine now," he promises.

With that, he throws another snowball at Penelope and the snowball fight continues. The fight between brother and sister lasts several hours before both siblings find themselves too cold or too covered in snow to continue.

"Let's go back home for some nice, warm tea," Penelope suggests.

"That sounds like a good plan. I'll race ya!" Will shouts over his shoulder as he begins to run towards the cottage.

"Hey, no fair!" Penelope yells as she starts to run as well.

"All's fair in love and war," Will reminds her.

Penelope just sighs before she runs after her brother. As she continues to run towards the cottage, Penelope realizes she cannot see Will anymore.

"Will, where are you?!" Penelope calls in panic.

Will doesn't respond, so Penelope begins to worry even more about her older brother. As she looks for any sign of Will she hears a rustling in the tree above her. Penelope gazes at the tall tree and hears a snicker coming from the middle branches. The young girl puts one foot on the bark and starts to climb; knowing Will is the one snickering in the tree. Before she can climb very far, the tree branch the snickering form is sitting on creaks.

"Look out below!" Will laughs as he jumps from the tree branch into the powdery white snow.

Penelope just scoffs at Will's antics before she offers him her hand.

"One of these days you're going to hurt yourself by jumping out of trees, Will," Penelope tells her older brother as he brushes the snow off of his back and neck.

"Well, I haven't yet. If I ever do break something I'll stop jumping out of trees," Will promises.

With that, the two siblings head back to the cottage for some tea.

After warming up, Will and Penelope head for the lake that is right near their cottage. Both siblings sit down in the snow to lace their skates up before stepping on the ice. Penelope gets her skates on first and glides towards the center of the frozen lake.

"Try and catch me, Will!" she dares as Will stands up.

Will laughs and skates after her, gaining several feet before he catches the back of his sister's hair with his hands. Penelope smiles before she starts to get really annoyed with her older brother.

"Will, let go!" Penelope begs as she tries to escape her brother's grasp.

An idea forms in Will's mind.

"If the lady insists," he smirks.

Will lets go of his sister's hair before pushing her from behind. Penelope goes speeding towards the edge of the lake, but she turns her feet at just the right moment where she doesn't crash.

"What was that for?" Penelope grins as she skates back towards her brother.

"It was payback for that snowball stunt you pulled earlier. Now we're square," Will remarks.

Penelope takes one tiny step towards Will, and the ice begins to make a horrible cracking sound. The ice starts to break slowly around Penelope's feet.

Will gasps as he sees what danger his sister is in. He recognizes the fear in her eyes, the same fear he sees in her eyes when she is frightened by a thunderstorm.

"It's okay. It's okay. Don't look down. Just look at me," Will calmly tells his sister, his voice nice and even.

"Will, I'm scared," Penelope barely whispers.

TO tell the truth, Will is scared too, but he doesn't tell Penelope. That would make her even more scared.

"I know. I know. You're gonna be all right. You're not gonna fall in," Will assures, trying to convince Penelope, and himself, that everything will be okay.

The ice breaks more under Penelope, causing the girl's eyes to widen. Will tries to think of a way to get his sister's mind off of the danger she's in. An idea suddenly hits him.

"Uh, we're gonna have a little fun, Penelope," Will softly says to try and calm his sister's mind.

"No, we're _not!" _Penelope cries, the danger starting to play with her emotions.

To try and lighten the mood, Will makes a funny comeback.

"Would _I _trick you?" he grins while putting on his most innocent face.

"Yes! You _always _play tricks!" Penelope reminds as several of her brother's schemes fill her mind.

Will chuckles at this, knowing he is an elaborate prankster at times.

"Well, not… Not this time. I promise," he slowly says.

Penelope begins to calm down, because when Will Scarlet promises something he _never _breaks that promise.

"You're gonna be fine," Will continues as the ice stops creaking and cracking.

Penelope looks up at him, her eyes filled with so many emotions that Will can't keep track of them all.

"What do I need to do, Will?" she inquires, hoping her big brother knows what to do in these types of situations.

Will honestly has no idea what to do; but he isn't going to scare his younger sister any more than she already is by telling her this. He quickly thinks of something to distract Penelope.

"You _have _to believe in me," Will instructs as he moves closer to his sister.

Penelope nods her head, starting to calm down. That's when the ice begins to crack near Will as well.

"There's only one way to get off of this lake. We're gonna play hopscotch, like we do every day. You need to take three steps towards me, lass," Will explains as he moves three steps towards her.

Penelope starts taking small steps toward her brother, looking down at the ice with every step. The ice is wearing very thin at this point. Will counts her steps out loud, his voice soothing, but wary at the same time.

"Three!" Will suddenly says as Penelope takes her last step.

The ice lets out a tremendous crack as she places her skate back on the ice. A hole as wide as Penelope forms, and the seven-year-old falls in.

"WILL!" she yells, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Will stands frozen in one spot for a moment, not knowing what to do.

"Penelope! Are you OK?!" he shouts over the howling wind.

"I'm freezing, Will" Penelope whispers as the icy water travels through her body.

"All right. All right, stay tight there," Will softly tells her, trying to calm both of them down.

"It's not like I really have a choice in that matter," she tells him with a slight, forced smile.

"I'll be right back!" Will promises.

He quickly skates to the edge of the lake and grabs the rope he brought along. Will now comes back towards the dark, icy hole that his sister is stuck in, only to see her treading water with her arms and legs.

"Wait, Penelope! Don't move!" Will shouts over the howling wind.

Penelope either is too scared to listen, or doesn't care enough to stop moving.

"Penelope!" he tries again.

He still doesn't get a response from his younger sister. Will knows it is time to take drastic measures.

"_HEY! Don't_ tread water!" he yells, trying to give Penelope a firm warning.

Her eyes grow wider when Will yells at her, and he instantly regrets yelling so loud at her.

"Don't tread water. Look at me," Will softly says as he starts looping the rope.

Penelope's light blue eyes stare into his dark brown ones, and she stops treading water.

"You see the ice?" he asks in an even tone where he doesn't frighten her any more.

She quickly nods her head, teeth chattering as she does so.

"Garb the ice. It'll freeze you to it," Will instructs, remembering their lesson in school on ice.

"Why do I want to freeze to the ice, Will?" Penelope questions, her voice shaking as more icy water covers her body.

"It takes a lot longer for you to freeze than it does to drown," Will explains, glad he paid attention in school that day.

Penelope grabs the ice with both arms and holds on as if her life depends on it, which it kind of does.

"Good, good! Penelope, hold on! I'm comin' down!" Will praises as he lowers himself to his knees.

The ice starts to crack under him, but he doesn't care. The only thing that matters to Will right now is the safety of his only sibling. That's why what happens next distraught him so much. Penelope's hands slip off of the ice and her body starts to sink.

"Hang on, Penelope!" Will calls out as he throws the rope around his sister's shoulders.

Penelope's grip strength fades, and her hands completely slip off of the piece of ice.

Her head soon is submerged in the water, and she cannot breathe. Icy water constricts the flow of oxygen to her lungs, and she knows this is the end for her. Above the water's surface, Will pulls the rope attached to his sister's shoulders as hard as he can. Penelope's body comes up to the surface as Will continues pulling on the rope. He lets out a sigh of relief as Penelope begins breathing again. Will watches as she coughs up water, and he can't help but cringe. He needs to get her out of the lake, and fast. Penelope's breaths are short and ragged, which isn't helping her body at all.

"Take deep breaths, lass," Will gently tells her as he pulls her up and out of the icy water.

After a mere minute Will has Penelope in his arms. She clutches at his neck with freezing fingers, searching for something warm. Will allows his younger sister to tuck her head in the crook of his neck as he tries to find a way to warm her up. She tightly holds on to her brother, trying her hardest not to close her eyes. She knows that if she closes them that she may never reopen them. Penelope shakes and shivers as Will takes his coat off and wraps it around her small, delicate frame.

"Come on, Penelope. I got you. It's okay," Will assures as he begins to stand up where he can get them both home.

"Will," Penelope weakly says, trying to look her brother in the eyes.

"I got you, Penelope. I got you. I promise," Will whispers to her as they begin their slow journey back home, where they belong.

She buries her face against his shirt, but releases the grip she has on Will's neck. Penelope's lips begin to turn blue, and she is still deathly cold.

"All right, lass, you hang in there, OK? We're gonna get you home," Will brings to his sister's attention.

"Will, how are you going to get me back in this storm?" Penelope asks with a catch in her voice.

"Don't you worry. I'm gonna get you back. I promise," Will answers.

He lets out a cough after thus promise, the cold air starting to get to him. His fingers also start to turn numb since they are exposed to the cold January air and the quickly falling snow.

"I'm sorry," Penelope whispers in Will's ear.

"For what, lass?" Will questions.

"I fell in and made you have to rescue me. You're trudging through a blizzard with no coat because of me. This is all my fault," she sniffs.

"This _isn't _your fault. It was just a thin patch of ice. You couldn't have avoided that. You're gonna get home and see our family, lass," Will remarks.

Penelope doesn't respond, and it starts to scare Will.

"You're gonna see Mama and Papa, all right?" he tries again.

He still gets no response from his little sister. Will turns Penelope's head and sees that her eyes are closed. His heart beats wildly in his chest, pumping blood quickly through his body.

"Come on, Penelope, stay with me," Will begs as he shakes her shoulders and rubs her arms with his strong, calloused hands.

Penelope still doesn't respond, and Will feels sick to his stomach. He runs the rest of the way home and throws open the door, tears streaming down his face.

Will Scarlet_ never _cries. He has only cried as a baby, but that is understandable. That is why t is so easy for Mrs. Scarlet to notice something is wrong with her son.

"Will, are you all right?" she asks her only son, her voice calm and soothing.

Will sits Penelope's body on the bed in her room.

"Penelope's not breathing! And she's been in the water!" Will sniffs, his whole body racking with sobs and tears.

He lets out a cough after this sentence, one that alarms his father.

"I don't like the sound of that cough, Will," Mr. Scarlet remarks as he lays a hand on his son's shoulders.

"Don't worry about me, Papa. Worry about Penelope instead," Will barely chokes out.

Mr. Scarlet then notices his motionless daughter on her bed.

"My baby girl," he gasps as he approaches her.

"Come on, Will. Let's go warm your hands up," Mrs. Scarlet softly says as she leads her son out of Penelope's room.

She helps him sit down in a chair before placing a kettle of hot water in front of him.

"Put your hands in there. We'll bring 'em back nice and slow," she tells Will.

The last thing Will remembers is the burning of the water against his hands.

Will's eyes heavily open and he looks at his surroundings. He recognizes the furniture of his room, and notices both of his parents sitting silently across from his bed. Will's head aches something awful, and he feels very cold and sick. His room is too quiet for him.

"Where is everybody?" Will weakly asks his parents.

"Everyone's right here," his mother replies.

"Penelope never woke up?" Will questions with a catch in his voice.

"Yeah, well, uh…. Um…Uh…No," Mr. Scarlet sighs as he fingers Penelope's locket.

"Penelope…." Will whispers.

"You did good, Will. You did good. You brought her home," his father says as he places the gold locket in Will's hands.

"I'm sorry, Penelope," Will says as he stares at the picture in the locket, half expecting this to be just a nightmare.

"You've been asleep for two days, Will. You have pneumonia," Mrs. Scarlet tells him.

"I need to pay my respects to my sister," Will says while pushing himself off of the bed.

"No, that's put of the question right now. That could be stage three frostbite we're looking at here, and heaven knows what nerve damage has already been done," Mr. Scarlet warns.

"Papa, I _have _to do this. I owe Penelope that much," Will cries, tears running down both cheeks.

He soon is leaning down beside her grave. Will traces the letters of Penelope's name, tears filling his eyes, threatening to fall once more.

"I'm sorry, Penelope. I tried to save you. I'll never forget the times we had together, little sister. Your locket will forever remind me of our bond. I'm going to miss you so much, lass. I wish I could have done something to help. I love you," Will says with a lump in his throat.

Tears do fall down his face, and he does not brush them away. Let someone see Will Scarlet crying. Let them see he is human after all. All it took was one second, one thin patch of ice and Will Scarlet's life changed forever.


End file.
